Simulation of the thermodynamic patterns in an ascending flow ripening chamber Original Research Article

In this paper a thermodynamic model of an ascending flow ripening chamber is presented. This model simulates both the air temperature and the humidity patterns inside the ripening cell as a function of the cell geometrical characteristics, of the type, number and relative position of the sausages under ripening, and of the thermo-fluid dynamic features of the inlet air flows. The model is based on two main elements: on the one hand a fluid dynamic cell model which, with the cell as a pipe network, resolves the air velocity pattern inside the chamber; and on the other hand, a sausages drying model computes the mass and heat exchanges between sausages and the air flows. The thermodynamic patterns are obtained considering the evolution of the inlet air conditions, as a consequence of the conformation of the air streamlines, and of the mass and heat exchanges between the sausages and the lapping air streams. Since no experimental data are available to validate the model developed, results obtained seem to be reasonably congruous with the different configurations modeled. On the basis of the satisfactory results obtained, the model will constitute the power engine of a dynamic ripening simulation software to be developed in a future study, which will present a parametric software designed to simulate ripening campaigns in ascending flow ripening chambers.